Colorado Plus Liquid Arts. That was the original name for North Denver’s newest brewery. A mouthful for sure, and to be honest I didn’t find the term “Liquid Arts” very appealing. I think it reminded me too much of Oskar Blues’ brewpub, Liquids and Solids (which gets my vote for the worst Brewpub Name Ever award). So after spotting their sign a few months back and noticing it instead read, Colorado + Brewpub, I figured things were looking up for these guys. (Note: the “+” on the sign is easily missed and at first left me wondering who Colorado Brewpub was and why I’d never heard of them.)

On a few recent visits, I’ve found a lot to like about CO+ (as they seem to call themselves). First, they serve food. And I’m not talking food trucks. They actually have a kitchen, servers, menus, the whole shebang. And the menu is very creative. They have the requisite burgers and sausages (both $9), but also offer items such as mussels ($13), goat cheese stuffed picquillo peppers ($12), and a pork belly spinach salad ($8), which take the menu up a few notches.

The next plus is their massive beer selection: 56 taps total, including four brewed on site. All beers served are made right here in Colorado and the guest tap selection is solid, with plenty of tempting options.

The house-brewed beers are fantastic , which is no surprise considering they are brewed by the ultra-talented Adam Draeger, of Yak & Yeti fame. Draeger is currently pulling double duty brewing at both of these excellent North Denver brewpubs. Anybody who’s tried the beer at Yak & Yeti knows how great it is and the offerings at CO+ are no different.

Their brews thus far have spanned the style range from a double IPA to a fantastically dry Belgian dubbel. They’ve also pushed the envelope with creative takes, such as their cinnamon almond beer, which was…well, weird. There was nothing technically wrong with it; it was just an odd concept that didn’t hit pay dirt with my palate. The highlight is definitely their Berlinerweiss, a rare, near-extinct German sour wheat beer. Draeger’s version is spot on, with a spritzy lemon-lime punch and a wheaty finish. In my opinion, it’s one of the best beers being brewed in town right now.

There are a few things they could work on though. For one, they lack a bike rack. I mean, c’mon, this is Denver and you’re a brewery. Not having a bike rack is like a church without pews. It’s…unnatural. Other things? The beer is expensive. Pours range from $4-$8 with many of them are only 10oz (seemingly every beer I want). And unfortunately, there’s no happy hour. Additionally, their patio, laid out with sturdy picnic tables and generous umbrellas, sits right on busy 38th Ave. A bit unavoidable, but it’s been enough for us to opt to sit inside. Hopefully, they can erect some sort of fence in the future to block out the noise and exhaust.

On the whole, CO+ is a pretty cool place. While their beer prices may deter it from becoming my regular haunt, it’s a welcome addition to our ever-growing brood of beer drinking locales. After all, good food and a vast selection of beer – both of them being of fine quality – is a hard combination to beat. Be sure to get out and enjoy a pint!